


you better put up your kingdom for sale

by dabblingDilettante



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, The Princess Bride References
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23533090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dabblingDilettante/pseuds/dabblingDilettante
Summary: Wherein Edelgard is marked for death, Claude is supposed to be dead, and the relative danger of pirates is grossly overstated.IE; The Princess Bride and a self indulgent AU.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 7
Kudos: 50





	1. take your silver spoon and dig your grave

**Author's Note:**

> This is Ostensibly a princess bride au, but with Plenty of personal liberties taken because we are partying every day. Sometimes you just gotta take your OTP and let them be in the Princess Bride and then also include two of your favorite characters otherwise as cool mercenaries, because, that makes the most sense. This won't have a lot of surprise unfortunately I feel like but that's okay. Sometimes you gotta take the whole joke about ROUS's and think about Edelgard hating them even more than anything else. And then make it not a joke because all you (read: me/I) care about is PTSD responses. This is split into chapters mostly because the last part of this story I wanted to have Directly Separated and its not 100% done and this is the best way to force yourself to finish the last details of a fic, as you know. thanks.
> 
> edit: if you see this and the summary is changed its because i was bored of the other one and felt it didn't fit my intent. So. a change.

“So you're the princess to be?”

Edelgard scoffed. She brought her horse to a halt and nodded at the red-head who acknowledged her. “I have always been the princess. It is my husband to be that is being brought into the royal family.”

The red-head, a young woman with scars and strong shoulders, whistled briefly. Edelgard's gaze tracked from the bow on her back to the dagger on her hip. She responded, “Then I guess you're just the gal we've been looking for.”

Before Edelgard had the time to speak or push her horse into a gallop, there were two powerful hands on either side of her. They easily wrapped around her arms and kept her in place. In her head, she cursed the fact she had not brought a proper weapon for her riding, but on her face, kept a careful smile. She said, “If the two of you are looking for any kind of ransom, I can assure you, it would be no issue.”

“What do you say, Raph?” the woman asked.

A voice behind Edelgard, one that seemed to belong to the hands holding her in place, said, “We were already paid. I figure'd be in poor taste to go back on that now, Leonie.”

The woman, Leonie, then shrugged. “You heard the man! It'd be pretty unprofessional of us to turn tail on our employers, considering they did already forward us the cash.” She pulled two heavy looking shackles out of her pocket and clapped them around Edelgard's hands and ankles. “You may not know it, being up in the castle, but some of us have got an awful lot of mouths to keep fed. I'm sure your people'll understand.”

Edelgard kept her polite smile. “Then you will be executed.”

“Nope,” said Leonie. “You'll find that we're very good at what we do.” From her waistband, she extracted a small vial and held it under Edelgard's face. “Just take a deep breath.”

Though Edelgard tried, even shallow breath began to fill her lungs with the strange mixture. Before she knew it, the world was dark, save sounds of quiet argument and the uncomfortable slam of her face against wooden planks.

“Raph, you've gotta be more careful! What if they dock our pay because she got bruises?”

“I didn't mean to drop her, she's a lot heavier than I expected!” Hands landed on her and righted her body till only her head was dangling forward without her. “I hope she isn't too mad when she wakes up.”

“You're worried about the hostage being mad?”

Slowly, Edelgard's vision returned to her. With that, she could see that there was wood all round her, blurry as it was. Worse than that was the uncomfortable roll of the floor beneath her. Each time the ground pitched, she thought she would be thrown back onto her face, but it appeared her kidnappers were smart enough to tie her to something on the wall. Unfortunately slower than her sight was that of control over her body. In her effort to move, she too obviously shifted, bringing her kidnappers attention back down to her.

“So, the lady awakens,” Leonie announced.

It was Raphael who dashed over and knelt beside her, bowing his head in some apology. “I hope your head doesn't hurt too much. If you'd like, I brought a couple good healing roots that I can cook up once we land. Should help with the healing!”

“Raphael, those were for us,” said Leonie, somewhat witheringly.

When they argued, a spray of water smacked Edelgard in the face, and brought her back to the unfortunate reality before her. “Are we on a boat?” she asked in halting and anxious cadence.

“Yep.” Leonie gestured to the vessel around her. “Welcome to the S.S. Eisner, my pride and joy. We are taking you to a special place at the Alliance border, and once we get there, we are skedaddling back south.”

“So you do not plan to kill me,” Edelgard asked, disbelieving.

“We aren't killers,” said Leonie. “Just opportunists.”

“I'm a friend,” Raphael added. “Leonie's been helping my village out a lot and she said she needed a hand on this one! It's nice to meet a real princess. Sorry about the trouble.”

“Raph, you really don't have to apologize to her.” Though Leonie acted as though she meant to whisper, she spoke as she had been. “She's just another royal. Don't worry about it.”

Edelgard peered between them. Leonie seemed more experienced as a mercenary. The weak link between them was the man, Raphael. Though he was stronger than even Edelgard, and she took great pride in her strength, he did not have the mindset a mercenary required to thrive. She asked, “Then if the two of you are not killers, pray tell what is going to happen to me once we land in Leicester?”

“We don't ask and we aren't told,” Leonie cut in. “Like I said, miss Hresvelg. We've already been paid. You can do what you want once we let you go. Likewise, whoever paid us will too. So if you're that curious, you can ask when we get there.”

Edelgard settled down into a watchful gaze. The Leonie woman was smart. Smart enough to know that Edelgard was making Raphael uncomfortable with the situation on purpose. She could only assume the man had been brought on without full knowledge of the job they were going to carry out. Though Leonie was clearly proud of the boat, it was a small affair, likely one that could have been handled by a single person without terrible issue. Raphael mostly kept to himself on the side until Leonie asked him for aid – another helpful note. He seemed more concerned about the waves and fish than the fact they had a hostage in the back of the vessel. Leonie was more cognizant, looking back frequently to make sure Edelgard had not moved, but she could not keep watch forever.

The most troublesome issue was that of the ocean. Even if she managed to escape, she did not know how to swim. Her options came down to two: either wait until they reached shore, or attempt to take over the boat now. However, that rose the second issue at hand. The shackles on her arms were not near as much a problem as those on her ankles, limiting almost all mobility. Her only option would be to steal the key. Edelgard pushed herself to full sitting height. “Where are the two of you from?” she asked.

Raphael spoke first. “We're set up in the Alliance! I've got a little -”

Leonie shoved a hand over his mouth and glared at Edelgard. “We're no one from nowhere. Miss Hresvelg, I get that you might wanna chat, but if you're going to keep pulling at loose strings, I've got plenty of sweaty rags to shove into your mouth.”

“I apologize,” said Edelgard. “I meant no harm. I merely wished to liven up the situation at hand. It is not often I am on a boat.” If she were honest, it was talking that made her less anxious. If the boat were to capsize, it wouldn't matter where they took her. She would be dead regardless.

“Then why not tell us a story about your wedding,” said Leonie. “I'm sure you've got some fun stories about that.”

“Not particularly.” Edelgard sat in pointed silence, but when Leonie raised an eyebrow, she went on. “It was arranged by my uncle. The man I am to marry is an old family friend, and probably better than most men I've met, but I cannot say I have any interest in him. Regardless, the public loves him.” She tilted her head. “Perhaps the people who hired you plan to kill me after all. What better time to draw a country into war? I wonder if your home would be involved as well.”

“Shut your mouth.” Leonie rolled her eyes. “No war is going to start and if anything happens, we'll move. I'm a mercenary, miss. I've dealt with a lot more battle than you've had to see. If you're trying to make me doubt myself that way, you've got another thing coming.”

“Of course not,” said Edelgard, pleasant and carefully watching Raphael. The man seemed to be biting his nails.

As night fell, Leonie let Raphael sleep first. As Edelgard watched her, she grunted that it would be morning tomorrow they'd reach shore. Though Edelgard attempted some kind words, Leonie brushed her off quickly. That made her smile. Smart women were always a pleasure to encounter, even with the situation being out of her favor. When Raphael woke up two hours later, Edelgard feigned sleep of her own. Leonie took below decks with a quiet warning before she fell into a quick snoring rest. Edelgard peered at Raphael with one eye. Though he was muscular, he was not hardened by battle.

She asked, “Did you sleep well, sir?”

“Do you really think it'll bring war?” he asked, quiet.

“Perhaps,” she said carefully. “Many wars have started for less. Others have not started for something much more. I thought it would be in poor taste if I did not address my concerns to the two of you.”

Keys jingled and Raphael silenced them with a hand. “You can't let her know,” he whispered. “If those guys do anything bad, you can run away. Just keep this on kinda until we get there. Alright?”

“Of course,” she said.

When the next shift came around, Leonie rapped Raphael's shoulder and took the keys back from him, as though she knew it was a smarter idea for only the person awake to have them. Edelgard continued in her fake rest and Leonie hummed to herself as moonlight came out from behind a cloud to burn into Edelgard's closed eyes.

“What the hell,” she heard Leonie mutter. Edelgard kept her head down, but listened to Leonie run from one side of the ship to the other, her feet leaving the planks as she presumably climbed the netting to the bird's nest. “Fuck,” she said, louder now. “Raph, you hear me? We've got trouble.”

At that, Edelgard let her head rise concurrent with Raphael's entrance from below deck. “What's up?” he called out, and Edelgard looked to see Leonie hanging from the netting one-handed, telescope in her other hand.

“We're changing direction,” Leonie called, leaping to the bow. “There's another boat out tonight and I don't think they're here for fishing.”

“Is it other mercenaries?” Raphael said, more concerned than nervous.

“Has someone been tracking us this entire time?” Edelgard asked, more incredulous.

“It's been a pitch dark night until now. I don't know how this boat followed us, or if it even is, but first, we have to move.” Leonie moved like a leader, as though she normally worked with dozens, gesturing wide and clear. “If that's a pirate, we're all dead. Raph, I need you on the sails pronto. If this guy was following us in darkness, there's no visibility reduction that'll help now. Luckily, we've got a windy night. If we stay enough ahead, we can reach shore and get to safety before they even know we're gone.”

“I can offer another hand,” Edelgard spoke up.

Leonie watched her for a time, as though picking through her best options, and shook her head. “You'll make a break. I can't afford more risks. Sorry, miss Hresvelg.”

“I can't even swim,” she answered, a little more desperate. In her mind, only magic would allow someone to track so well. In her mind, that could only be one group. If they hired these two just so they could kill all three of them – Edelgard shook her head. “Please. I only intend to survive.”

“I don't have time to argue,” Leonie called back, already walking away.

As the moon sank in the sky, and dawn broke over the edge of the sea, Edelgard could more clearly see the ship following them. While it had black sails, there was a gold embroidery that went against the typical pirate concept. If it was her uncle and his crowd, they wouldn't choose such an obvious sight. However, if they'd hired a second party for the operation, perhaps they'd just chosen someone fast and stupid to finish the job. Though Leonie's boat was quick and they made good time, it was obvious the ship behind them was only getting closer.

“This guy must have some kind of wind magic,” Leonie muttered. “There is no way any ship would keep up with my Eisner, let alone catch up.”

“So neither of you know magic?” Edelgard asked.

“We're commoners, lady. I don't know what you thought you were signing up for when you got kidnapped,” Leonie yelled.

Edelgard sank back down. If the following ship would get closer, she could set the sail on fire. However, it would have to be no more than 10 meters away for it to hit, and the momentum would do nothing to stop the ship from crashing into theirs. She had never spend much time studying magic, though she knew her crests made her ideal for the practice. Even if the people on the other ship jumped over, there was little chance she had of aiming properly on a ship made of flammable material. Either way, her magic would only doom her to a watery grave.

“That's it,” Leonie muttered. “If they want to follow, then we're not going down without a fight.” At that, she walked below deck and came back with a far larger bow than the one she kept around her shoulder. This one was more than half her height, and her muscles strained as she drew back the string. When she let it fly, Leonie bounced, excited. “Bullseye.”

As the arrow let loose and began to close the distance, something flashed on the opposite ship. Another arrow came and smashed into hers, taking them both out of the sky. Though Leonie seemed slack-jawed for a short moment, she gathered her wits quickly. She waved Raphael over and the two of them crouched on the deck beside Edelgard. “If they can do that, they should be able to snipe us without an issue. But they aren't. So what we need to do is wait until they board. Raph, I need you to hide below deck until they get here. If we're stuck without a trump card and there's more than one person on that boat, we're screwed. You get me?”

“You plan to leave me here, then?” Edelgard asked.

Leonie sighed. “Fine. And take the princess below deck, too, would you?”

Raphael apologized before picking Edelgard up and carried her downstairs to sit her on the bed. It was more comfortable, but being out of the action only made her more anxious. Leonie made no sound above deck and Raphael beside her bit his nails in the tension. Slowly came the sound of rushing water and a new flap of cloth in the wind.

Above deck, Leonie yelled, “I suggest you halt. If you want to jump deck now, I think you'll find more than a little trouble on your hands. My men below deck are prepared. If you want to escape with your ship unharmed, all you need to do is offer us a portion of your goods, and we'll happily let you go.”

Though Leonie was faintly audible, Edelgard could not hear the people on the other ship. All she could hear was Leonie's slow whistle. Raphael jumped to attention and ran above deck. As he left, Edelgard took her chance and removed the cuffs from her ankles. The creak of the stairs beneath her weight was drowned out by the crashing waves. She paused at the crest and turned back, wandering beneath the stairs instead to stare up through the holes of the deck.

“Raphael, there's only one,” Leonie called. “You stand behind him and be ready for my signal.

“Two against one?” said a new voice – Edelgard attributed it to the intruder. “That's not particularly fair, is it?”

“Unfortunately, mercenaries can't afford to fight fair,” said Leonie. The shadow of her form leaned into a bow.

Edelgard frowned. Though Leonie was likely a strong archer, gauging the shadows through the floor told her that the intruder had boarded their vessel. Archery had little use when the enemy was within striking distance.

The new voice said, “Then I hope you don't mind if I even the odds.”

Feet shuffled overhead with the light blotted out by the movement of two bodies as metal met metal. Dust sprinkled down from overhead as each body jumped away from the other, with a third larger form stuck standing still.

“Raph, if you're gonna help, right now would be a great time,” said Leonie.

“Y-yeah,” he stuttered. The weight of the floor shifted as his feet moved closer. “It's just. Leonie, he's pretty small. I don't wanna break his bones or anything.”

The intruder laughed. “You're that strong, then? Maybe I should recruit you to my crew.”

“What, your crew of one?” Leonie scoffed. “I can't believe a pirate is out on the seas with a ship like that completely alone. You're begging to be killed.”

“Ah, but I never said I was a pirate, did I?” said the stranger.

The floor shifted again, quick with the two smaller shadows. Raphael's moved into the fray, but stepped back just as quickly. The smaller shadows clung together and Leonie cursed.

“Go for him, Raph,” she yelled. “Don't worry about me.”

“So selfless,” the stranger said. “I thought mercenaries were supposed to be focused on themselves first?”

“Shut up,” she hissed.

“Leonie, he could kill you first,” said Raphael, laying out the scene in Edelgard's mind.

Leonie with a knife to her throat and the intruder behind her – Raphael opposite the stairs watching in fear – and the stranger's back turned to the stairs. Edelgard held her breath and started her way back to the stairs.

“Oh, no one said anything about murder!” the intruder said. “But I can't very well have people following me, so. Sorry about this, miss.”

Edelgard heard a loud thunk and a softer thud against wood. As she took her way up the stairs, she could see the stranger and Leonie's unconscious form puddled on the floor.

“I won't let you hurt Leonie anymore,” Raphael yelled. He put up his fists. “I'm no coward. But I don't need to kill you to win.”

“It's too bad you're so noble.” The stranger took a step back and raised his arms. “If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was just wracking up bad luck for mistreating someone like you.”

Before Edelgard could stop him, the stranger had thrown something at Raphael. It hit him in the shoulder, and then another on the neck after the stranger cursed. Needles stuck into his skin, the barest amount of blood cresting at the wounds. Raphael stepped forward one, then three times, before collapsing to the ground at Leonie's side. Edelgard watched the stranger kneel down to collect the needles and pat Raphael on the head.

“I imagine you won't enjoy the symptoms when you wake up, but it's the best I could do on such short notice,” the stranger explained cordially. “I hope the two of you understand. I'm just running low on time.”

Edelgard took her chance and threw the chain of the shackles on her wrists around his throat. “Then perhaps you will be willing to make time,” she hissed.

“Ah,” he said, unfazed. “The princess Edelgard von Hresvelg. I would recognize that voice anywhere!”

“I am glad you are so familiar with me,” said Edelgard. “Now, if you would please, I would take your ship and make my way home before I am missed.”

“That might be a problem,” he answered.

Edelgard tightened her hold on his neck. “If so, I will remove the issue.”

“It's just too bad,” he hummed. “You're as strong as they say, but you have one fatal weakness.”

“I do not care much for the opinion of a pirate,” she said.

“I'm hurt!” At that, the stranger grabbed her arms and bent over, easily lifting her weight overhead before she had the chance to brace herself. "You're just a little too short for that to work well." He slammed her to the ground and dusted his hands. “An honest man can't even give good advice to an old friend these days.”

Edelgard groaned and tried to pull herself together. As the stranger began to drag her upright, she said, “If you intend to kill me.” The pain knocked the wind out of her, the back of her head still ringing. He threw her over his shoulder. “There are more where I come from. I've left information to be found in the case of my death. I-”

“Sorry, princess,” he said. “I just need you to sleep for a little bit.”

At that, a needle pierced her neck and darkness filled her vision. Despite losing control over her body again, she felt strangely cognizant of the surroundings as he carried her from one boat to the next. The only issue was time. Every movement was hours of agonizing thought, slowed by the poison dulling her nerves. If he took the time to set the other boat aflame or sink it, Edelgard had no way to know. She became intimately familiar with the ground of what was presumably his boat. If nothing else, it made it hard to be nervous about the boat sinking into the dark ocean. It would have been a freedom from this.

“Hey,” came as a shock. “You can wake up now. Just don't hit me.”

As a new needle pierced her skin, Edelgard's body leapt to attention, jamming her arms forward into the man in front of her.

He wheezed as she stood up to run. “That was exactly what I didn't want.” Edelgard made it ten paces before she fell on her face from the boat's jostling, pin needles rushing through her body as the blood began to flow properly again. “I would have warned you if you gave me the chance,” he said, bemused. He walked over and pulled her upright before offering her water. “I'm not trying to poison you, again, either. I could do that without ruining my water supply.”

Edelgard refused the offered water with some disdain. He smiled at her. The man wore a mask over the top of his head, black as was the rest of his clothing. Slowly, she said, “There are few pirates known to be so skilled in poison and sailing. If I were to guess, I would say you were the legendary Roberts.”

At that, he laughed. “That myth? I see the princess loves stories. No, no, that story was poised as a true history, but unfortunately it was a joke.” He settled down from his chuckling. “You see, the writer was making up something to tell his daughters one night, and nothing in it was actually true. He says it's based on a true history of a long lost civilization, but -”

“If I was wrong, then tell me I am wrong,” Edelgard said wearily. “I am not interested in the rambling of a kidnapper and attacker.”

“Is it really kidnapping if I'm stealing what was already stolen?” he asked.

“You can't steal a person,” she responded.

“See, that's your answer!” he said brightly.

Though he left her frustrated, she noted these methods were unlike the sensibilities of most people her uncle would tend to hire. Nonlethal poison and jovial chattering tended to be not only an unnecessary flair, but also far more dangerous. Her uncle's goons were more straight-forward, if she were tiptoeing around insults. The stranger – the intruder, the kidnapper, the pirate, the guy with a sunny disposition worn like more of a mask than the one he already had on his head – pulled a blanket over her legs and waltzed around his boat.

“You aren't going to undo my shackles?” she asked.

“Well, I don't have a key,” he said.

“I'm sure a man of your methods could find a way,” Edelgard said witheringly.

“In the hypothetical situation I did know how to free you, I would say it might cause a problem if I gave you free rein while you were still in such a foul mood,” said the stranger.

Edelgard fell silent as he maneuvered the sails around the ship. Attempting to orient herself seemed impossible. While Edelgard knew every inch of Enbarr and the basic geography of Fodlan, all she could see was an unending ocean and its infinite dunes. She had assumed Leonie's ship had launched off the eastern coast of Adrestia, but whether her new interloper was taking her back to the Empire or deeper into Alliance territory, she had no idea.

“Do you intend to kill me,” she asked, deadpan and tired. “Was it my uncle who hired you to take me after those mercenaries had drawn me far enough away from home.”

“I'm more of a solo agent,” he answered without looking at her. “Especially nowadays.”

“Then if you expect money from rescuing me, I hate to tell you that you'll be playing into their hands,” Edelgard laughed. “They're far more interested in having me dead than alive. Since you have wasted so much of your time on this already, you may let me go at the next open shore.”

At that, the interloper looked at her. “Not everything is about money.” With a pert smile, he turned away and climbed the mast. He called down, “We'll be hitting shore soon, though! Hope you've not adapted too much to the sea.”

Eyeing the distance, she could see a hint of land through the sun shimmering off the ocean. “Would you at least tell me who you are,” Edelgard asked carefully. Moments of distraction.

“I am many things, princess,” he said, giving a playful bow as he climbed down. How he could stand so well as the boat rocked beneath them only made her more nauseous. He tossed a water skin to her, which fell through her still imprisoned hands. As he watched, he said, “Some would assume I a pirate, but it's quite untrue. You could call me Captain Riegan, if you are so very inclined.”

She would have scoffed if not so desperate to drink. “The last of the Riegans died two years ago. There are no remaining heirs. I would say it is in bad taste, but I suppose someone of your illuminous stature is not concerned with such things.”

“Ah, people say many things,” he said. “Are you sure there were no others besides the duke before his death?”

“The only other living members were killed,” Edelgard answered. Her voice cut into her ears, sharp and unpleasant. She pulled her emotions into control and went on. “The duke only had a son and grandson. They were both killed. It was considered to be a coup at the time, but Adrestia handles no part of Alliance issues.”

Her stranger hummed, loud and fake. “How tragic! I had met the duke's grandson once. He was quite a sharp young man, I would say. He didn't seem fond of much of Fodlan, but I seem to recall him speaking well of certain nobles.”

“You know I don't believe you,” she murmured.

“You don't need to believe me to enjoy a story, do you?” He grinned. “When he heard the fate that awaited him, he escaped on a boat I piloted. It was, of course, ravaged by pirates, but he seemed quite insistent he survive when he met them.”

“Yes, and they struck him down where he stood,” Edelgard said – the words more of a curse than she meant. “If you are intending to mock me, such matters have long since lost their luster.”

“It hurts, does it?” he hummed. “Did it hurt when you stayed a princess of an empire that intended to kill you? Or when you remained a member of a nation that enjoys assassinating anyone that goes against its wishes? Or did it only begin to sting when you agreed to marry a man that is a figurehead to replace your deceased emperor? I just wonder, considering how sure he was about the importance of survival.”

“And why,” she said, coming out rough, “Why does that matter. I am doing my duty. What I do as crown princess has nothing to do with a thief and a criminal!”

He tilted his head. “That boy seemed so sure someone was going to change the world. Someone was going to do something. I suppose two years isn't very long, but considering you were being taken to your death hardly a few hours ago, he must have been a fool to believe you could do much.”

“I don't care,” Edelgard spat. “What you have to say to me. You know nothing of my plans.”

“I know you'd be dead without me,” he answered.

She didn't know when she had stood, but there she was, too sure for the rocking ocean. Edelgard had terrible strength, enough that in that moment alone, the ocean did not scare her more than her own rage. All the plotting flew out of her head and she fixated on the promise of land, the potential of a current, and ground enough to walk on alone. In an instant, she had leapt to the railing to stand. “You know nothing of my promises.” At that, Edelgard stepped off the side and allowed herself to the taken by the dark waters.

As the water took her and filled her ears till the pressure began to crush her vision, she could hear the faraway hint of family and friends long dead. “Don't go, El.”

Edelgard struggled against the current before realizing there was no chance of her reaching rock bottom. No way of walking or climbing her way out of an endless ocean if she could not touch down at least once. The current bobbed her in and out for desperate breaths, further from land, from safety, and all she knew.

Darkness moved in the water behind her, a body from the ship. She kicked away, but she couldn't swim, moreso with her arms bound. In this moment, being swept away was better than being killed by her uncle's men or the specter of being used by a new stranger looking for power. For all she could tell herself to survive, there was only so much she could do against the ocean. Something grabbed her arm and she almost hoped it was too late. At that thought, Edelgard felt herself slip away.


	2. pick up the pieces and go home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dead walk and rats appear.

There was once a princess. In the most popular operas and storybooks, there were always princesses or princesses to be. These chosen few would be otherworldly beauties, women of grace who deserved the thrall of every member of their kingdom. It would be that even those not chosen by blood would inevitably be found, for their appearances were incomparable, and their hearts terribly pure.

Edelgard tired of these stories. There was no Romanticism in the princess, a figure that meant little more than a fantasy of the unattainable. No self. No individuality. Her relative worth as a princess was to succeed her father. When she was young, that meant nothing, but now she was the only child left. That was why she was the princess. The term of princess was less a genre benefit and more of a chain at her ankle, teasing her in how it refused to allow power over her life. But princess she was and her uncle's entourage made sure to make her appear as such. Old scars and signs of sleeplessness were wiped away with magic and makeup. She was given the opportunity to learn, but never too far from the castle boundary. They'd learned already with some of the king's children. If they got too far from home, they got ideas in their heads about running. About being people. Arundel had long since learned how to ensure avoiding her that kindness.

Yet, he could not be perfect in denying her kindness. For while she was meant to be the princess, Edelgard was also a fool. She knew because the idea of a tool of an empire making friends was absurd. Yet she could not stop her own fool heart from caring about people. And so, much like a storybook princess, she grew close to equally foolish people. The reality of this story was tragedy – an opera like Dorothea would perform for her in secret. To the moment that she met the most foolish of anyone, an heir to House Riegan.

He had appeared first as a strange lump in the stables, hiding in the hay, when Edelgard had attempted to avoid another long courtesy session. Though Claude pretended to be little more than a traveler, and then a farmhand, and then a child mercenary, his command of multiple languages and the tell-tale green of his eyes belied his true upbringing. More an enemy than a friend, a rival than a confidante, he still quickly rose in the ranks of her head for his lofty dreams.

"We don't need kings," he said, so casually, as if it were not near suicide for a noble to say it. "We don't need crests! There has to be a better way, and it's the least we can do to get it started."

Though she could not openly agree, Edelgard found a strange comfort in his brand of absurdity, only speaking around the right people. Eventually, she realized that meant he thought she belonged in that category.

When the first assassins had come, he had brushed it off.

“Don't worry, princess. It's nothing I haven't dealt with already.”

From the moment she found him hiding, straw sticking out his hair, Claude seemed to take it as a challenge to ignore a world that seemed so desperate to kill him. For a time, she thought it possible that he wouldn't die.

“My siblings would always call me El,” she told him quietly, one night, as though the secret was a threat to the both of them. Those of them who hadn't escaped the Empire had died long ago and she had no way to track down those who remained. “Sometimes, I don't know if I miss them or what they did for me more.”

“Family is weird like that,” Claude answered. “When I was around my parents, I was always so frustrated. Annoyed. Like there was something I wanted them to understand that I couldn't get through to them in any language. But now that I'm stuck here, I think about them all the time.”

“Yes,” Edelgard said. And then - “Must you always call me princess?”

“I don’t know. Must I?” There was a sly smile on his face she wished she could swat away. “I wasn’t aware there was anything else I could call a person of such high standing.”

“How about my name?” she deadpanned as he laughed.

“I don’t know about that, princess. I start doing that, and next I’ll be asked to start calling you Lady Edelgard. That’s how you Adrestians get people caught on that ladder.”

“Then,” she started, pretending her mouth wasn’t dry as the sea, “You could call me El.”

Claude fell silent, the smarmy look on his face melting into one of genuine thought. The face that made her – she shook herself free of the thought. He said, “That’s pretty forward.”

“Then don't.”

“I didn't say I wouldn't.” His fingers squeezed around her hand. “Hey. El?” Her head shot up and she stared at him, a little too hopeful. “It can't stay like this forever. Not when people as ambitious as us are on the case.”

“When I take over, I'll oust all of them,” she told him.

“And when I take over, I'll invite you over to tea,” he told her, with a jovial chuckle.

It was easier to speak than act, particularly when one was not given the opportunity. The day they reported his death was the day Edelgard stopped exploring the castle for glimpses of friends who refused to give up on her. If she gave up on them first, it was simpler. It meant no one else had to die.

For everything she couldn't say, she would keep her silence and protect anyone else from the same fate.

–

Edelgard saw the dead too frequently to have hope that she'd go anywhere they were.

If she could talk to Dimitri, maybe they could have bonded for once. Maybe she'd allow him to care about her like he tried to in the edges of their contact. But for her, the ghosts of the dead were not visions of vengeance or her failures. They were only reminders of the reality trailing her like ravens in the sky. Above her, Claude’s ghost seemed to be speaking between the moments of a mask slipping off her kidnapper's head. To herself, she scoffed at her stupidity that it would be him she'd see. Wouldn't she rather imagine her siblings saving her, she wondered. Rather than thinking about a man she could never save coming to her rescue.

She'd hate him more for daring.

Her cheek stung as if a bee landed upon it.

“El,” came urgent and frustrated and scared.

Her cheek stung as if slapped.

“Can you hear me,” he said. “Your eyes are moving, but can you hear me.”

Her cheek stung because it was slapped, because she was present and awake, and with that thought came terrible reality. Edelgard began coughing before she realized she was vomiting. She threw herself onto her side as sea water poured from her mouth in uneven bursts. The salt burned her insides, making each new gasp hurt, but she could breathe.

“Why did you do that.” Hands landed on her shoulders. The stranger's. The hands of the man who sat before her, the stranger, the kidnapper, the unknowable. It could not have been. “I thought you were scared of water. You didn't even try to swim!”

Edelgard could not move her lips to speak.

“This long apart and you just insist on being as stubborn as you ever were.” Where he had been rough before, now his hand was like a feather landing on her head. “Really threw a hamper in my plans.”

She stared at the ghost. “Claude,” she whispered. His name came out as a rasp from her inflamed throat, but he sat up at her voice.

“Surprised you recognized me,” said Claude von Riegan, the smile on his face opposing the worried curve of his brow. “I grew this beard for a reason. Had to have a way to shock you.”

His ghost spoke as if time had passed at all between them. Her hand floated from her body and she could not feel his skin as she watched her fingers slide against his cheek. Edelgard could have sworn there was a flash of surprise on his face, but instead. Instead, he put a hand over the ghost of hers flying away, and in that moment, she could feel his warmth. The reality of a dead man hanging onto her hand and the reality of years spent in the darkness of grief smashed against each other in angry competition.

“Claude,” she repeated. It wasn’t possible. She’d already spent years wishing for her siblings to return. Years pushing away unattainable hopes. This was just another. The thought that this was real and constant before her was almost mocking, for how long she had desperately wished. “Claude?”

“That is a name people have for me,” he said. “Do you have anything else for me? Can you string a sentence together?”

Edelgard’s free hand began to reach toward him. She had gone. Years. Accepting his death on top of every other horrible thing that had ever happened to her, and here he was before her, like nothing had ever happened, and she stared, and her hand shook, and –

Her hand stung as she slapped Claude in the face.

“You,” she forced out between shaky breaths. “You died.” As she pulled back her hand again, hand curling in the terrible stress beginning to overwhelm her body, she spat, “You were supposed to be dead!”

Before Edelgard could summon the energy to slap him again, if she could have ever, Claude caught her hand in his. Holding it without comment, he stared at her, a lifeless kind of sadness melting the last mask of a smile.

“I know,” he said.

Her hands slipped free from his, but Edelgard could not summon the strength to stand. She did not know when her hands had been unbound, but they were free – she was free to go. The thought made her ill in the face of how weak she felt.

“Guess I waited too long,” he murmured.

At that, Claude laid down and Edelgard realized the two of them laid in the sand instead of a boat. Where the sun had blazed overhead, it now began to sink into the sea and she realized they were on a beach. She could see no boat, not in the distance or anchored at the shore. But that was not the question she wanted to ask. His words lingered on her mind. It was strange to have grieved for a man that was now so close, and stranger to adjust her mind to a new reality. Edelgard clawed herself out of the bitter past she had accepted and attempted to find some comfort in the one that laid only three feet away.

“How long is too long?” she asked.

“Depends on who you ask,” he answered, too quick to be casual, but still playing into their eternal game. “No time is too late to me.” Some strength returned to her fingers and Edelgard pulled her arms in close for the way her heart beat in her chest. Claude went on, “I figure as long as I can get back, that’s enough.”

“So that’s why you’re always late.” Humor returning to her tongue like it had never left.

“Hey, just because you like to get everywhere early doesn’t mean everyone else has to live up to your absurd standards.”

The two of them fell into a more comfortable silence. Edelgard watched the stars come out. Constellations she didn’t know, constellations Claude could describe from the perspectives of four different countries. She could have been jealous of the way he had time to learn things she could not allow herself space for, but instead, she indulged in it. Indulged in facts she would not and could not remember because her mind was too full of things she could not forget.

And she said, “Two years.” Edelgard could almost hear Claude tense. It was a spark of delight to say, “And three months.”

“Wow,” whistled Claude. “You kept the memory of my anniversary that close to your heart? I’m just a few days short of that.”

“Perhaps you are just lucky, Claude.” Of course he would have counted the days of his own exile. 

But he was alive.

Angry and ecstatic as it made her, Claude von Riegan was alive, and that meant he was in greater danger than ever. Regardless of whatever momentary joy she could pull from the moment, Edelgard forced herself to sit up.

“Why did you come,” she asked. “No one knew you were alive. No one was looking for you.” Though her voice was sure and strong, sand stabbed underneath her fingernails as she dug into the sand. “You had no reason to risk yourself like this.”

“I couldn't let my dear El go off to marriage without my well wishes,” he said.

“Claude.” There were a thousand things she could say about that, about her plans and reasons and the sense of it all, but he spoke first.

“All's well that ends well,” he said, and before she could stop him with more concerns, Claude leaned against her shoulder. Though she tried to tense, Edelgard could not stop herself from relaxing at his contact. “Regardless. You’re supposed to be changing the world and you were able to let yourself get killed by random mercenaries? I couldn’t let you get off that easy.”

Disbelief took her mind and she almost smiled. “I don't even know how you found me.”

“Hey, I've been on the seas for a bit now. You thought I wouldn’t hear about your wedding? I’m disappointed you’d think so little of me.”

“I’m sorry,” said Edelgard, a lilt of laughter hiding in her voice. “Of course an excellent pirate like yourself would always be aware of the gossip of the world.”

“Thank you,” Claude answered, feigning a miniature bow.

In the quiet reverie that took her, Edelgard caught a spot of movement in the sky. Her eyes flashed upward to the sight of a bird. It was rare to see birds out so late flying. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, however, more wings became clear against the night sky. Dozens. A swirl of eagles and ravens flew overhead and as she stared, they bolted. Her mind ran too slow and she cursed herself until she was present and sharp again. “We need to go now,” Edelgard spat.

“You done resting already?”

“My uncle,” she started, too loud, before quieting herself. “His mages have sent their familiars." Edelgard pointed to the sky and Claude followed her motion, his jaw tensing at the sight. "He must know I was not delivered and once they get information from those birds, he will know where I am.”

“Got it,” Claude said, already leaping to his feet. “I'm ready to go if you are.”

“But where can we go,” she hissed. “If they know where we are, they will have mages ready to transport guards to our location at any moment.”

“Not if we run into the swamps!” he said with a grin.

His words came as a moment of confusion and then terrible clarity. “You cannot mean Adrestia's fire swamps. Why would be be near the fire swamps!"

“None other,” he said. She watched him trace a line from the beach they stood on into the woods behind them. “We just got lucky enough to have landed on the perfect spot. They'll never follow us.”

“Yes, because we'll be killed!” she said. “No one leaves the place alive, particularly unprepared travelers without weapons or fire resistant equipment.”

“No one has left alive that you know of,” said Claude and he bopped her on the nose. “I know better than anyone that the world is full of delightful impossibilities. Such as, the two of us.”

Claude was the one to grab her hand and begin dragging them forward into the darkness of the swamp before them. Edelgard whispered, too concerned about the magics the birds could have used to hear her, “If we go through the swamp, even if we survive, we are only heading toward my uncle. We are better off to go toward the Alliance. You could have sailed anywhere, so why return here?”

“I lost track of my boat when saving you,” he called back to her. The realization of her fault made her gut churn, but he said nothing else about the loss taken for her sake. “I don’t have a great way to contact allies in Adrestia, either. So we’re just going to wing it. You trust me, right?”

“Never,” she answered, forcing a smile onto her face. When Claude looked back, he returned the gesture.

“Perfect.”

\--

Adrestia was known for fire for more than just its mages. From the vermilion that emblazoned its flags and leaders to the banners of its towns and castles, fire was an inevitable connection to the country. The swamps that made up its eastern coast were no outlier to the theme. The fire swamps were a no man's land, a region that not even nobles bothered to take claim to, protecting much of its coast from invaders. There were many reasons for the Leicester Alliance to avoid a war with Adrestia, and that was one of them. The issue was -

“The rats,” Edelgard murmured. “How do we expect to deal with them?”

“I don't believe they exist,” Claude said.

“I'm sure," she said with as much distaste she could summon. As the ground before them popped, Edelgard lifted him out of the way of a spurt of fire and pretended to ignore his clear delight. “And what would you say of the flame?”

“Well, you have a good sense of the fire. If I'm in danger, you'll easily rescue me from the claws of death,” he answered, hanging an arm around her shoulders. “I'm sure we could live here for quite some time!”

Edelgard considered unraveling his ever longer arm, but gave him a moment of her grace instead. “I thought your reason for helping me was because you needed me to get out into the world and make a difference?”

“But if I need a vacation to get away from home, now I have the perfect place,” he answered.

Claude walked as though he had no idea of danger, let alone fear, and Edelgard went out of her way to ensure his safety. It was a play she hated and a game she half-enjoyed, proving how much she knew, and he knew it just as well. As though the two of them were children instead of a generation tricked out of power or futures. Moving between the flame spurts was a joking dance, and she could pick him up even easier than when they were children. Edelgard had underestimated how strong she had become in her years of self-imposed isolation. When he walked into the sand traps, she was quick to leap in after, pointed and exact in her determination not to lose anything more than she already had to such odds. Sandy and disgusting, his hand touched her cheek like the two had only been apart for days, and they were young. Young and limitless.

“I can't keep saving you forever,” she muttered.

His eyes flickered from her face to the swamp behind. “I'll stop playing around, then.” Claude stood first, taking both of her hands as she stood. “Shall we make our way out?”

“You're looking at something,” said Edelgard.

“Nothing important,” he said. He led now, quickened pace and sure steps. “Thanks to your tireless lessons, I think I have a good sense of the swamp now.”

When she looked behind, she saw nothing, but it made her feel no better. “Was it a person?”

“El.” At the prompt, she stopped. “I know you like being the one in control, but you'll want to let me handle this one.”

“If it's my uncle's mages, we can outrun them,” she said.

Before he could respond, something large and furry leapt from a tree. Claude was even quicker with a bow than he was with words and had arrows in the rat before it had the chance to land. Though Edelgard could see it falling toward her, she could not bring herself to move. Claude elbowed her out of the way and took the brunt of its weight himself. She landed hard. Unable to brace herself, her shoulder smashing into a rock with an awful twist. Pain seared into her eyes and her vision left her for a split moment, returning with an uncomfortable sight of her present.

“That's not real,” she said, more than asking. “Claude, am I-”

He cut her off. “This is unfortunately real,” he yelled. “Do you have your knife?”

Hands shaking, Edelgard's hands went for her boot and the dagger hilt hidden within. The rat's form doubled in her vision, and tripled, and an unintelligible whisper drowned out the rest of Claude's words. The rats chewing on her open flesh and her weakness so severe she could not shake them away. The rat was crushing Claude. The rats were biting her, bringing blood to the surface, blood she should have long since been emptied of. Its teeth tore into his skin and he yelled in a miserable agony. It did not make Edelgard present. But it reminded her of how quickly time moved. Reminded her she stood frozen, watching Claude, who had not been there, and she grounded herself in that fact. For someone who could smile through anything, fake as it was, Claude refused death with such beautiful grandeur. It was the one thing she could be sure of in a reality that loved to betray her. When she threw the knife, it came with such force that fire burst into the rat's newly created wound. Its screech made her double over with nausea, but Claude finally regained his ground. Yelling, he pushed the rat into the sinking sands. As silence came with the distant pop of the fire spurts, both of them stayed collapsed on the ground.

“Told you I could handle it,” Claude said between panting. Confident as he played, his roguish grin was accompanied by the awful pallor of blood. He was the first to drag himself up and inspected her injured shoulder before she had the chance to move. “Dislocated. Pretty nasty look, El.”

“I realize that,” she hissed. The pain made her mind clearer than it would have been in the panic still flooding her body. Edelgard knew that hurt, and she knew her knuckles were bleeding, and she knew that Claude was sitting as though the beast had not ripped through his shirt and arm and almost dug its teeth into his neck. It was almost a joke for how close it was to her nightmares.

“You don't mind if I fix it, do you?”

She exhaled loud and heavy through her nose before giving Claude the go-ahead. To his credit, he was quick. After the experiments, her bones did not break, but her joints were not what they used to be with a body that degraded quicker than it had any right to. The benefit of knowing someone like Claude was having a person who knew how to commit to unpleasant realities without turning away.

Edelgard had never asked him why he was so good at mending such wounds and he did not give her the opportunity to ask here. Claude was already tearing off the remainder of his own sleeve to wrap around his wounds. She held up a hand to his shredded fabric and tore the inner lining of her skirts, not so dirtied by the swamp they had been traversing. He gave her silence while she took her time to wrap the wounds with her still trembling fingers. He did not voice questions or jokes. It allowed her to collect herself and ponder instead on the distance of years from who she expected him to be.

Continuing was harder than before. Neither were so sure of their steps, but Edelgard feigned taking leadership. It meant Claude had the space to keep watch without playing a game and she had the excuse to ignore herself. Questions flooded her mind in the silence, desperate and affectionate and foolish. She took her pick of the one that made her feel the least foolish.

“How did you survive,” asked Edelgard.

“Just got lucky enough to see some sinking sand nearby,” he muttered. When she looked back, Claude was still struggling with the bandages of his wounds. 

“No,” she said, almost too faint. It was hard to ask much of him. “How did you survive my uncle.”

Claude clicked his teeth together too audibly. For a moment, Edelgard thought he would not answer. But finally. “It’s a funny story,” he started, far too serious. “Pirates, y'know? Well. What Fodlan tends to call a pirate isn't always an actual pirate.” Edelgard waited for his pace to match hers and watched his eyes flicker and pick through what he wanted to say. “A lot of countries get a bad reputation because people from Fodlan use their names to attack others. Just so happens that your uncle hired a band that was pretending to be Almyran. And.” He laughed. Hollow. “They did kill a lot of people on the boat I was traveling on.” 

Why he’d been traveling was just another thing Edelgard had never known. She stayed silent.

“But I got lucky, because an actual Almyran crew sailed up and saved my life. They didn’t like marauders using their boats to kill. Plenty of people on the sea have a better code than that. And when I asked them to, they took me on.” He laughed again, but this one was quiet and genuine. “When they asked me why I wanted to join a crew like that instead of going home, I just told them I had a friend I’d made a promise with. We were going to tear apart the nobility and the borders of the world.”

“Quite the romantic story,” Edelgard said. Romantic in the way of novels about heroes and adventurers. A note of bitterness settled inside her, jealous of the thought that Claude could leave and still be such a grand hero. When she was here. She shook the thought away.

“Hardly,” and he laughed again, stronger, harder. “The captain was so annoyed with my answer that he threw me into the brig for the first two weeks! I just barely happened to work my way up because I knew how to cook a few Almyran dishes.”

“Your worldliness saves you yet again,” said Edelgard.

Claude stared at her, as if he could sense her distance. He was terrible in that way. So good at reading people, even her, when she tried to hide so much away. “I know I make things look easy a lot, but. It's not. It hasn't been for a long time. I can't say I've enjoyed living as a dead man, either, El. Couldn't go back to the Riegan household after my grandfather got killed, so y'know. I figured if I took my time, I would find a way to get back in without getting killed. And maybe even touch base with you again.”

“I suppose you have succeeded,” she said into the swamp.

Claude snorted. “Fine, then. You get a question, then so do I. What’s going on with this marriage thing. What is it that you were trying to achieve over the last two years.”

The fire guided Edelgard’s steps. She pushed the thought of giant rats out of her mind. The sand that swallowed one of the monsters settled below her and she asked herself the same question.

Finally, she answered, “I didn’t have much choice.”

“That sounds like bullshit,” Claude countered.

“My uncle and Duke Aegir have plotted to put the Aegir son on the throne,” she said. “Ferdinand. I believe you know him.”

“So … why would they want that?” he asked. “You always acted like they were grooming you for it. Why renege now?”

It was absurd to admit. The moment Claude disappeared was the moment her want for the throne did as well. It was strange to think the answer was so simple. The idea that a throne and all the nobility in the world could do nothing to stop a friend from dying, even after she had gone through so much death already. She thought she had made secret her plans to abdicate, even formulating a plan to unveil their terrible deeds at her coronation.

“I don’t know,” she lied. “One day, my uncle took me to the garden and as we walked, informed me that I was to marry Ferdinand to ensure his rise to the throne instead.” Edelgard chuckled. “He even told me if I attempted anything at the wedding, that he would personally have Ferdinand assassinated.”

“I see,” said Claude, the two words alone saying everything. How clear it was that she could not simply allow Ferdinand to die for her beliefs, how obvious it was that she was going along with a wedding and clear attempt to kill her just for a chance to undo her uncle’s plans after the fact. “Then you probably need to get back to the capitol.”

Edelgard took her time before answering. “No.” If he was surprised, she did not see it in the darkness. “I will accompany you. They may use it as an attempt to crown Ferdinand, and I can enter afterward to reclaim the throne and inform the public of what has been hidden from them. Ferdinand may prove troublesome, but I believe if I have greater proof, then he will understand and take my side.”

“And the people do like Ferdinand,” Claude chuckled. “It almost makes it sound like you planned to be kidnapped. Don’t tell me you orchestrated my heroic appearance as well.”

She could never guess Claude’s actions, his game, his dreams, all the secrets he hid. Nor had she ever succeeded in controlling or manipulating him. But instead of lingering, she laughed. “Of course. I know well you always come to engagements late. Further, since I was kidnapped, I do have excellent proof to convince him.” 

“So we’re on the road to find those mercenaries,” asked Claude, excitement sparking in the crinkle of his eyes.

“Of course.”

A neigh drew Edelgard’s attention away.

They had finally escaped the swamp.

Before her stood a dozen horses and two dozen men, sorcerers with magic at the ready, glowing brilliant in the dark. In the light of their magic, she made out the face of her greatest foe.

“Uncle,” she said, a strained smile appearing on her face out of habit.

“My dear niece.” Arundel commanded his horse forward, trotting the few steps to allow him to lord over her. “What am I ever going to do with you.”

“You know I am not keen on making trips on my own, uncle,” she answered. In the back of her mind, she hoped Claude would take the opportunity to run. Yet, as she peered back, Claude had only stepped forward. He stood too strong for the myriad of wounds and torn clothing upon him. Edelgard bit back her fear and went on. “Thanks to this brave seafarer, I was able to escape mercenaries. Who knows what may have happened to me otherwise.”

“Is that so,” said Arundel. The smile he wore was a mimicry of the past, a mockery of comfort, and he began to laugh. “How interesting! And I was almost worried my lovely niece was trying to elope with this mess of a man.”

“That’s too much of a compliment,” Claude said – an edge on his tongue like a message to Edelgard.

She knew the two of them needed to get out. She wasn’t a fool. But he was the one in greater danger. 

“Edelgard,” Arundel went on, “You shouldn’t lie. If this man has taken you, just be honest. I’ll have my men strike him down. You don’t need to fear. Your uncle is here.”

“He saved me,” Edelgard reiterated. “Uncle, please let this man go. We had to run into the swamps to avoid pirates. It was a struggle to survive. I will gladly return home with you as long as this man can be returned to his boat.”

Arundel tisked. “Guards,” he called.

As he did so, one of the lancers came and raised his weapon over Claude’s head. Edelgard was quick. She threw her hands out, standing before him. “Do not touch this man!”

Even Arundel seemed surprised. “So sad. You’ve been brainwashed by this, haven’t you?” 

“I have not, uncle. But I will not allow you to needlessly kill this man after he has saved my life.” She finished her sentence as such more as an entreaty to the guards before her. Maybe her uncle was a monster, but that did not mean his soldiers were.

He shook his head, gesturing to his soldiers. Edelgard watched them look at each other as if questioning. “I had expected those of the dark arts to target you, but I had never dreamed you would be so weak-willed.” With a clap of his hands, Arundel said, “Guards. Please rid our princess of this terrible magic.”

No matter her plea, the soldiers still marched forward. “Uncle,” An edge of desperation leaked into her voice and she cursed herself. “I would sooner die than allow you to kill a man in cold blood!” she said. Edelgard had spent years enduring. Enduring.

Enduring.

For what. To have one more person stolen from her by the same people who had destroyed her family from the inside out. She knew the man who called himself her uncle like she knew herself. 

“Tragic,” Arundel droned. “All your dreams thrown away for nothing. I thought you planned to be great, Edelgard. I thought you could become like myself, one day.”

His words triggered a sick wave of rage through her chest and she yelled, “Death first.”

Her uncle smiled at that and she steeled herself. She could not die. She needed to run. Needed to take Claude and run back into the swamp. Yet, as Arundel’s hand began to fall, Claude barked, “You’ll spare her?”

Even Arundel seemed surprised at that. Edelgard spun around, anger clear in her face, but Claude was not looking at her. Instead, his eyes burned holes through Arundel.

“Fine,” Claude said.

He pushed Edelgard away, only for a guard to catch her in the midst of her shock and bind her hands. She was pulled to the back of a horse just as quickly, guards swarming around Claude. As she watched them pull out their spears, he seemed to smile.

“What are you doing,” she said – too much as a whisper, so Edelgard repeated herself in a scream. “What are you doing!”

“Lo, princess,” said Claude with a theatrical bow. Her uncle swiped a hand, but Claude went on. “You may think you have escaped my terrible control, but nothing can escape the magic of a true pirate.”

“Take him away,” her uncle announced.

As the horse carried Edelgard to Enbarr, the smile of her uncle clear in her view, she waited for the scream. In the night, she found nothing but the silence of betrayal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> screams ive been on this for a MONTH!!!!!!!!!!1 GOD. this is the hard part. last chapter'll be easier. hope someone gets enjoyment out of this because i sure did, its just hard to write when you're gay as i am for Bullshit. i think its a little funny to address claude's perspective in such a short bit that's sort of reductive but i'm also like "this is an au inspired by the princess bride. just roll with it." flashback sequence engage.
> 
> if you're wondering if edelgard and her siblings went through the crest experimentation, the answer is yes but also up in the air because this isnt the fe3h universe, but also crests do exist and el still has her fear of rats, and some of her siblings are dead, but also we're alluding to some of them having run away? garreg mach does not exist in this au. i guess rhea doesnt. this is all weird. very spaghetti style. i'm not worried about it because i write this for scenes like edelgard screaming at her uncle she'd rather die than be like him and claude being like "hm . affection."


End file.
